How Temp Workers get Screwed Twice

Once when they're hired; then again, when they're laid off.

Slackers on Unemployment Benefits

If a person (say a low-paid computer programmer) takes home $3,000 a month at their job, while owing $1,200 a month on a mortgage before being laid off, they might collect $1,600 a month in unemployment benefits — barely enough to live on.

GOP Blasts "Accounting Gimmicks" in Social Security

Now, according to the GOP, Social Security is just a scam. Below is from Rep. Paul Ryan's recent blog at the Committee on Ways and Means, where it says:

Who will Hillary Clinton debate in 2016?

We need to see Democratic debates, not just have one person anointed like royalty to be the nominee for President. We always see the clown car in town whenever the Republicans have a debate. I say, bring in the Democratic clowns as well.

Quick links and thoughts...

In an article at the New York Times, they write, "A Quinnipiac University poll in Colorado, a crucial swing state, released last week indicated that 58 percent of voters said they wanted the next president to “change direction from Barack Obama’s policies".

The 2015 War Revenue Tax Act

With some people complaining that America is going broke, while at the same time, those very same people are saying large corporations and the very wealthy are being taxed to death — how will another war in the Middle East be paid for if Congress wants to send ground troops to fight ISIS?

The Good Fight for Social Security

People such as Senators Elizabeth Warren (as evidenced here and here) and Bernie Sanders (as evidenced here and here) are also very strong advocates for Social Security, as well as progressives who caucus with the Democrats. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the last Republican to advocate for (and expand) Social Security. Currently, no Republican politician supports Social Security or Medicare as a government program (at least, not in its current form.)

61% of New Jobs were in Low-Paying Sectors

St. Louis Fed (PDF): "Since June 2009, private-sector employment has increased by about 10 million, more than offsetting the decline that occurred during the recession. However, unlike in the recession, the majority of job gains were in the low-paying industries. Of the 10 million increase in private nonfarm jobs during the current expansion, about 61 percent, 6.1 million, were in low-paying industries ...

Temp Workers aren't Temporary, they're the Norm

First, let's look at the number of unemployed Americans during the Great Recession...

On December 7, 1941 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor — and the U.S. went to war — and it expanded it's industrial might to put millions of Americans back to work. Then in the month of September 1945, the U.S. suddenly had a loss of 1,967,000 jobs — because World War II had ended.

Fast forward to Ronald Reagan: In the month of September 1983, the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a gain of 1,115,000 jobs. But the recovery during Reagan's presidency did not include any month in which one million jobs were actually created — but it did include one month in which almost 700,000 striking AT&T workers had returned to work.

Fast Forward to the Great Recession.

Trickle Down Economics: 101 (Beginners Course)

* This is a political commentary, not an economic thesis...

We're all aware that the Republican leadership hates "government" (except of course, when members of their own party can personally benefit from government). So sometimes it seems almost pointless and a waste of time to repeatedly point out all the ways that the Republican party have assaulted organized labor, the poor, the working-class and what's left of the middle-class and their safety net — while at the same time, advocating for policies that primarily benefit the very wealthy and large corporations (and not small businesses, as they have always falsely claimed).

Door Slammers and Republicans

Perpetual door slammers literally drive me crazy — especially when I'm watching TV, reading, writing, playing my guitar, listening to music, watching a YouTube movie, editing a video on my computer or sleeping. In other words, whenever I'm just doing normal things — such as "living" (just being).

Paul Ryan's War on Poverty (Part Two)

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the new chairman of the Ways and Means Committee (which writes tax legislation), wants to make some previous tax breaks permanent — arguing that Congress has previously extended certain tax breaks before. But Congress had also done other things previously (that the GOP doesn't want to do now), such as transfer funds from the Social Security retirement fund to shore up the disability fund.

It didn't take long before the new GOP House began passing a series of deficit-hiking tax cuts that will primarily help the rich at the expense of everybody else.

Why won't Paul Ryan listen to Nick Hanauer?

In 2012 billionaire investor Nick Hanauer (a self-described "venture capitalist") gave a 5-minute speech on inequality at TED University. The video was posted at YouTube on May 17, 2012 — and to date, it has over 1.1 million views. In his short speech he says this about consumption:

Senate Hearing on Social Security Disability

Because the Social Security disability trust fund is projected to pay 19% less in monthly benefits to recipients sometime in 2016, and because the old age trust fund is projected to pay only 75% of benefits to retirees by the year 2033, the current debate is two-fold: shoring up the disability trust fund with revenues from the old-age trust fund (as it's been done 11 times before); and shoring up the old-age trust fund for retirees by raising the $118,500 income cap for Social Security payroll taxes.

Job-Hopping and Temps the New Norm?

Are We Becoming a Part-Time Economy?

(Federal Reserve of Atlanta)  "Compared with 2007, the U.S. labor market now has about 2.5 million more people working part-time and about 2.2 million fewer people working full-time. In this sense, U.S. businesses are more reliant on part-time workers now than in the past."

More Republican Hypocrisy on Social Programs

Fox News reported that Dr. Ben Carson (the neurosurgeon and Fox News regular) "is building a campaign team for a potential 2016 presidential run". That's the same guy that once told of how he had stabbed someone in a fight, but that the blade had hit his victim’s belt buckle and broke, sparing him serious injury — and a possible murder rap for Carson.

Small Business, Self-Employed or Independent Contractor?

GALLOP: U.S. Small-Business Owners' Optimism Highest Since 2008:

Are Happy Days Here Again?

I can understand a loyal fan cheering for their home team — even when they're losing a particular game, or if their team has the most losing team during any given season.

I can understand being a little optimistic and hopeful when hearing good news after just having had a lot of recent bad news.

I can even understand the reason for the propaganda that's put out by a government when attempting to keep the masses pacified (in their otherwise drab existence), and to keep them from rising up and revolting.

I can understand when an administration (be it Democrat or Republican) who only wants to highlight their better achievements, while playing down their short-comings.

I can understand why some economists might do the same thing, by building "consumer confidence" — in an otherwise drab economy — as a part of driving a positive economy.

But what I can NOT understand

I'm not a Misogynist, I love Elizabeth Warren!

UPDATE (Feb.13, 2015) : New Poll reveals that:

1. Likely Democratic voters want to see a contest for the Democratic nomination. According to the memorandum analyzing the data, “Virtually all respondents agree with the case for a contested race, with 98% agreeing that a competitive primary is good for the party, candidates and voters.”

2. When likely Democratic voters are presented with information about Elizabeth Warren and her populist positions on the issues ranging from trade policy to banking regulation to student loan debt, they become more enthusiastic about her running — and about backing her in a race that also includes Clinton. Indeed, while a plurality of likely voters remains undecided in each state, Warren moves into a credible lead over Clinton in Iowa (31-24, with 6 percent for Sanders) and a narrower lead in New Hampshire (30-27, with 6 percent for Sanders).

The desire for a debate is real. So, too, is the worry about a caucus and primary season where the Republicans are campaigning, holding debates and getting all the attention while the Democrats barely go through the motions.

---

New York Times: "Hillary Rodham Clinton is trying to answer what has emerged as a central question of her early presidential campaign strategy: how to address the anger about income inequality without overly vilifying the wealthy."

Yes --- we don't want to get those rich folks angry, lest we be accused of envy and waging a class-war.

Republicans Target Grandma (Again!)

The Republicans are clearly going full speed ahead after Social Security and Medicare. This was just sent to me yesterday via a newsletter that emailed from my Senator, Dean Heller (R- Nevada), about Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) and his budget proposal: “We must make tough decisions now to fix the federal government’s $18 trillion debt, and a balanced budget to the U.S. Constitution is one way to make sure we address the real driver of Washington’s fiscal problems: out-of-control entitlement spending."

It goes on to say:

Defining the Middle-Class Peasants

It's almost amazing, that many of those who govern this country and make public policy (and write about economics), have no idea what a real middle-class existence might be like. It's as though they're all living in their uppity high-income bubbles — and have absolutely no clue how the peons are managing to survive.

But on the other hand, many working people don't either — they think they are in the middle-class just because their neighbors might have the same standard of living as they do. I'm sorry to bust their bubble but, only about 20% of all wage earners are most likely in the middle-class — while the vast majority are in lower-middle-class or less.

That's not to say this class of lower-income people don't "have" class — because as we all know, money can't buy class. Just ask Paris Hilton's brother, who thinks we're all a bunch of f*cking peasants (His words, not mine.)

The Big Unemployment Rate Lie

Those who are either counted as "employed" and those who are counted as "unemployed" are not the people driving down the reported unemployed rate. It's the people who are no longer counted at all — they are the ones who have been mostly driving down the unemployment rate.

In a recent op-ed piece by Jim Clifton, Chairman and CEO at Gallup, he says the unemployment rate is a big lie. "Right now, as many as 30 million Americans are either out of work or severely underemployed. Trust me, the vast majority of them aren't throwing parties to toast falling unemployment."

Do Regular Wages Face "Double Taxation"?

Timothy Taylor ("The Conseravble Economist") has a very interesting post at his blog about Obama's proposed ideas for corporate tax reform (but there's too much good stuff to paraphrase here, so I'd suggest that you read his entire post.)

But I do have one specific gripe with his piece.

Is America Still Globally Competitive?

Is the U.S. no longer "exceptional"? Can America no longer compete economically with other countries? Have foreign nations stolen our once-almighty thunder? Are we no longer globally "competitive"? Many shills for America's biggest corporations will have us believe that.

Who Envies Paul Ryan?

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), Chairman for the Committee for Ways and Means, has an annual salary of $174,000 a year. Some people might envy Mister Ryan, because not only does he have a great government job that pays a great government salary (and has lot of great government benefits), but also because Ryan has so much government power — which he wields with no mercy when playing God with other people's lives.

Less Jobless Claims may not be "Good News"

It just means less unemployed people are receiving unemployment insurance benefits, and not that everybody is finding a job.